Ninja Ryû Ken-den

This is one of my favorite video games of all time as well as video games for the NES as it was one of the first. I was drawn to the game as the ninja is my favorite type of warrior and of course I was a kid in the 80's which at the time had the whole Ninja craze going on and even video games caught on to it and this game was one of them. Really liked that cover art which caught my attention as you saw a ninja in grey, armed with a jitte, and you saw a city in the background on fire, that cover just told you everything like a city is in peril and you're the only one to stop it or you in for some explosive ninja action.

Really like the graphical presentation from the well detailed backgrounds and even the game sprites. Though I really like the designs of the bosses which are great as each of them look menacing and scary which is all the more reason to take them out. Each of them are all different from a Jason Vorhees like boss, two jumping demon creatures, the very final boss that looks like one of the monsters from H.P. Lovecraft lore; shame they never thought of making a toy line based on this game these bosses would make great figures.

The gameplay is solid it's similar to "Castlevania" but is actually a lot faster, where in "Castlevania" you were walking and taking your time, in this game you're running with no time to waste. Really like how once you get from point A to B, how fast the level changes up which makes the game even more challenging as each section is still going from point A to B but differently than before.

The game is on the hard side as it's also a matter of survival, it's like the game was literally designed to kill you, as there are a variety of enemies that constantly come at you, are stationed in all the right and vital places, or simply appear out of nowhere. Some of those enemies are one's that really add to the difficulty, one of course is those damn birds whom I hate so much, those damn things are like homing missiles as they continuously follow you till your dead unless you make them dead first.

Yes, the game is hard but it's fair, like most games on the hard side it's a matter of perseverance. If you practice with the game enough you can get though most to almost all the levels with less problems than before, if you know all of the right places to go, where the obstacles are before they hit, and what to do at the right time.

Your control is basic from a jump to an attack button. Your armed with a katana as it has a medium range of attack which makes it balanced in offense and defense; really like that your attack is based on the quick draw of the katana. You also have secondary weapons which each have different functions like a fire wheel shield that gives you invincibility for a temporary amount of time, fireballs which you discharge diagonally, a red boomerang shuriken that has good stopping power but minimal range and many others that are all useful depending on if they fit the circumstances. Also, each require ammo for use so make sure you collect plenty and use the secondary weapons only when you absolutely need them because they burn out quick.

What truly makes the game unique is that it has an ongoing story as you are progressing though the game. This really was a novel concept at the time because back then video games weren't known for story, like with board games they were known mainly for their game play. But this game was truly different as it had a story with depth and development. I'll admit it really blew me away as I actually was interested and invested in the ongoing story as it actually was well written and inspired really as it's a story of martial arts fantasy which I always think those two genres are a beautiful mix and it makes sense as the 80's was a boom for both genres and there was a big slew of martial arts fantasy films in the 80's like "Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain", "Big Trouble in Little China", etc.

Really like how well animated the cinematic cut scenes were which made you feel like you were watching a movie or even an onscreen comic book. Seeing these really made me feel that what I did in the game truly mattered, that the stakes were truly high and losing wasn't an option. Also furthered my motivation to continue playing so that I can get to the next act and see what else happens in the story. This is now a common place thing in the video games we have now which all have stories like "Halo", "Red Dead Redemption" etc.

And of course, there is the music which is great as it's probably one of the best video game tracks ever, this game just has plenty of memorable tracks which are all personal favorites of mine and it's not hard to find plenty of remix versions of the tracks that continue to this day. One favorite of mine is of course the first level track which is just excellent, it just sings out fast hard-hitting ninja action, and it's the kind of music that I can listen to whenever I do martial arts workouts or any other aerobic workout.

Ninja Gaiden is a ninjarific classic.

Rating: 4 stars

'Ninja Gaiden'; a true experience for me as a 12 year old boy ... This is a game full of feeling.

You are the young Ryu Huyabusha, one of the greatest heroes ever. I don't think that "Ninja Gaiden" has been made as a film, but I am not sure. It would be a good ninja film, however. If it is, Ryu must be my greatest hero in movie-history. This young man is the master in control. Ryu climbs on walls, jumps, runs fast, hit his target with his sword and runs again. If you have learn to control Ryu, nothing can stop you. This guy isn't one of those who makes mistakes. Ryu is the puppet that never fails you.

"Ninja Gaiden" has for it's time perfect graphics, good sound and great Japanese music. This is really a Japanese game, which just makes the mood even better.

The first 'acts', as it is written in the game, of "Ninja Gaiden" are quite easy. The end is harder but I have proved for myself that it isn't impossible, even if it can takes hour each time you play it which makes the game a bit worse than it could have been. But the end is one of the coolest ever.

"No one can beat me!" - Ryu before the great final battle

Rating: 9 of 10.

Ninja Gaiden introduced gamers to something that was never done before. There was a story that was told throughout the game through cut scenes. These cut scenes pulled the gamer into the the adventure of the ninja, Ryu Hayabusa. Asside from the cut scenes the game had top notch graphics for its time and catchy music to boot. I often caught myself humming the tunes as I played through the game. It featured a wide variety of enemies, bosses, locations, weapons and characters. Ninja Gaiden was one of the most incredibly challenging games, giving even the most veteran gamers a run for there money. The last few levels are notorious as one of the most challenging and frustrating than in any game. Ninja Gaiden was hugely successful and an instant classic whose success spawned 2 more sequels and a current game on the X-box.

All that I feel like saying about this game is that it took me at least six months to beat the final boss...err should I see THREE final bosses in a row that were very difficult to defeat. What was really frustrating is that if you died trying to kill these beasts, you would have to go back and repeat the last three levels of the game you had already gone through. Those levels were also extremely hard and required nearly perfect gameplay with precise jumps, sword-slashing, and more jumps.

I was so happy and relieved when I finally beat that nearly impossible purple demon (which sadly threw me into more fits and bouts of depression then I ever experienced as a child up until that point) and it was so cool when I got to see that temple I was stuck in for months, at last fall to pieces!

The beautiful unfolding cinematic story also kept me riveted as well and I was more emotionally attached to this game than any other game at that time.

There are some good things to be said here. A few points in the game, you get the "ninja-y" feel flipping back and forth between pillars and walls. There's a sword and throwing stars, as well as a storyline to go with the boss fights.

Frustrations are many though, the first and foremost being the "sticking" to walls working off-and-on according to the player's intent, as well as partial or full platform jumping controls not landing reasonably well. There's an intentional delay for jumping, which can be gotten used to, but seems an unnecessary feature compared to responsiveness. Hit detection isn't great, you've gotta hit that sweet-spot and erratic enemies are just plain annoying at times. Boss fights a bit absurd for normal player requirements. With saves and cheats, it becomes a bit more interesting than grinding through the choke-points.

For a ninja, Ryu doesn't seem to be doing much sneaking and assassinating. There's no hand-to-hand martial arts, just sword slinging and 'magic' spamming. I realize this is a beloved classic, did enjoy the first level or two back in the day, but am glad to be through with it to satisfy what the full gameplay and story is like. I'll be filing it on the shelf and moving on to better games.